1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to apparatuses and methods for fastening two boards perpendicularly together to form a decorative corner. More particularly, this invention relates to apparatuses and methods for forming a corner joint of two sheets of wood laminated with a plastic laminate to form a rigid and esthetically pleasing corner.
2. Description of the Background Art
Presently, there exists many apparatuses and methods for joining the edges of two sheets of wood to form a corner. Representative corner fasteners located during a patentability search are disclosed as follows. U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,971 discloses a light-weight cargo container and fitting to provide a secure connection between wall panels of a light-weight container. U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,148 discloses an apparatus for holding boards in a perpendicular arrangement with one another during the making of furniture. U.S. Pat. No. 3,783,931 discloses a device for fixing a covering sheet inside a dihedron formed by two perpendicular surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 2,340,454 discloses a panel and corner fastener including side members adapted for attaching in a position at right angles to one another as well as embodying a construction adapted for securing panels in edge-to-edge relationship. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 2,993,637 discloses a bolted box corner construction providing a lock-joint between a pair of corrugated sheets of material.
Each of the apparatuses and methods disclosed in the above identified patents, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein, work suitably well for their intended purpose. However, with regard to the construction of furniture, those apparatuses cannot provide a means for connecting furniture panels together along a corner which is particularly esthetically pleasing to the customer. Hence, those apparatuses and methods have typically been used to construct containers or wall assemblies for industrial applications. Indeed, U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,148 discloses specifically a corner connector for furniture with an outwardly angled surface (70) which provides a decorative corner only because of its flat configuration.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a method which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art methods and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the corner moulding and fastening art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a corner moulding and fastener for fastening the edges of furniture panels together to provide a decorative corner which is esthetically pleasing to the customer.
Another object of this invention is to provide a corner moulding and fastener for connecting edges of furniture panels together to provide a smooth corner with no sharp edges or the like.
Another object of this invention is to provide a corner moulding and fastener which can be sold as a kit to finish carpenters/cabinet makers to be used to quickly and easily join edges of furniture panels together to form a decorative edging.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure contained herein and in the above identified patents, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.